Guitar Corner

Art Farmer has long been admired for his lyrical playing. He started on trumpet, then switched to flugelhorn, helping to popularize the instrument. Eventually , Art played the Flumpet, a Flugelhorn-Trumpet combination that was especially designed for him. He played professionally since the 1940s, and started recording in bands at 19 years of age in 1948, when he played in the bands of Jay McShann, Benny Carter, Gerald Wilson and others.

Barney Kessel cut his teeth working in the lively music scene of Oklahoma, landing his first professional gig at the age of 14, and becoming one of the first and only electric guitar players in the area.

One of jazz’s most recorded guitarists, Barry Galbraith was known for his immaculate taste as an accompanist in any musical context. His guitar studies books are still some of the most popular practice materials for aspiring jazz guitarists today.

Ben Monder is truly one of the most innovative and inimitable guitarists on the scene today. Able to summon a multitude of soundscapes from his guitar, a result of his nearly mythical work-ethic and connection to the instrument, Monder’s expansive palette has found him in demand from artists as wide ranging as Paul Motian, Brother Jack McDuff, and David Bowie.

Bill Stewart is a versatile drummer and composer who has been active since the late 1980s. He attended William Patterson College (where he studied with Rufus Reid, Harold Mabern, and Joe Lovano) from 1986-1988 and made his recording debut while he was still a student. In 1990, he made his name working with guitarist John Scofield in an association that lasted for five years. Bill's 1995 highly-acclaimed release "Snide Remarks" on Blue Note featured Lovano, Eddie Henderson, Bill Carrothers, and Larry Grenadier; it included nine of Bill's own compositions as well. Since then, Bill has formed the Bill Stewart trio with Kevin Hays and Larry Goldings. Recent projects include work with Renee Rosnes, Jim Rotondi and Jon Gordon.

Bruce Acosta is an up and coming guitarist based in New York City. Born in Dubai, he grew up in Canada, Australia and Minnesota, picking up the guitar at age seven. As a high schooler, Acosta was selected for the Brubeck Summer Jazz Colony and the Minnesota All-State Jazz Band and recognized as a National YoungArts award winner.

Charlie Byrd’s early life found him in a variety of locales, from the calm borough of Chuckatuck, Virginia, in 1935 (where he began to learn guitar), to the orchestra of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1942, and even to service in a G.I. band in Paris in 1945 (prior to which he faced combat service).

As the first guitarist to popularize the electric guitar, Charlie Christian has influenced generations of musicians of all genres. He is known for his breathtaking solos, which featured bluesy melodies, winding, chromatic lines and off-kilter rhythms all combined with a deep groove.

Born Charles Jagelka, New Yorker Chuck Wayne was a jazz guitarist, composer and arranger noted for distinctive bebop style and legato technique. He became an expert in the banjo, mandolin and balalaika as a child, focusing on swing. He was heavily influenced by classical music in addition to jazz. He became prominent in the early 1940s on NYC's 52nd Street and in Greenwich Village where he made the transition to bebop. Influenced by Oscar Moore and Charlie Christian, and horn players of the day like Coleman Hawkins and Charlie Parker, Chuck made his way into Woody Herman's big band and later worked with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, spreading the bebop revolution with recordings like Groovin' High and Blue 'n' Boogie.

Dick Garcia first picked up the guitar at age nine, teaching himself the instrument and the jazz language well enough to begin working professionally at nineteen with clarinetist Tony Scott.

George Benson is a prime example of a child prodigy who grew into a mature and highly influential artist. Starting his recording career at the age of nine as a singer under the name of “Little Georgie,” Benson soon became renowned for his guitar playing prowess under the leadership of Jack McDuff in the 60s.

Groove, impeccable taste, a shimmering tone and a deep feeling for the blues define Grant Green’s musicianship. Whether playing in soulful organ groups, hard bop ensembles or leading a funk band, Green’s guitar sound is instantly recognizable. While Charlie Christian and Jimmy Raney are certainly influences of his on the guitar, Green claimed to listen primarily to horn players, particularly Charlie Parker.

Many people only know of Harold Land as the great tenor saxophone soloist who made the classic quintet recordings with the Clifford Brown - Max Roach Quintet: Joy Spring, Daahoud, The Blues Walk and other classics—many of which are available from jazzleadsheets.com. Harold is far more than just a great tenor saxophonist sideman.

Herb Ellis was widely known for his blues-inflected soloing and masterful rhythm playing, most famously alongside Ray Brown in Oscar Peterson’s trio. Guitarist Jim Hall revered him for his “fantastic fire and drive.” Born in Farmersville, Texas, in 1921, he played banjo and harmonica before learning the guitar and studying at North Texas State Teachers College—currently known as the University of North Texas.

Known for his exceptional work in the guitar trio format, blistering technique and sensitive accompaniment, Jack Wilkins is one of the foremost jazz guitarists on today's scene. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Wilkins began learning the guitar at age ten, counting Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Johnny Smith, Joe Pass and Barney Kessel among his early influences.

Belgian jazz guitarist Jeanfrançois Prins is a professional musician, arranger, producer, and educator. By the age of nineteen Prins was a band leader and was awarded the "Golden Sax" and First Prize for Instrumental Performance at the Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles. He has released six CDs as a leader. His most recent, "El Gaucho," was recorded in NYC and released on Challenge Records in mid-2012. His interviews and performances have been featured on TV around the globe. In 1994 he was an actor/musician in the Oscar-nominated Belgian movie, "Just Friends."

Jesse Van Ruller is widely regarded as a contemporary jazz guitar master for his fluid, dynamic phrasing and deep groove. Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1972, he began learning the guitar at age seven.

Jimmy Raney was one of the most fluent and deft bebop players of all time, having assimilated the language of musicians such as Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie in such a thorough manner that pianist Barry Harris, one of the world’s foremost bebop masters, once remarked that “Man this cat (Jimmy Raney) plays like Yard (Charlie Parker)!”’

The son of saxophonist/composer Al Cohn, Joe is well known as man who can play anything on the guitar. If it's impossible, he'll do it anyway. Heralded by Pat Metheny as an "unbelievable improviser" "able to keep ideas going and flowing" and turn "sentences into paragraphs and paragraphs into stories", his apparent virtuosity is complemented by a sensitivity to the narrative qualities of music.

Trumpeter Joe Gordon was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. As a teenager, he became a fan of the Count Basie band, and especially trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison. Later, Joe was impressed by a live performance of "Little" Benny Harris with the Coleman Hawkins/Don Byas group. Soon after, he took a modern music class at the New England Conservatory taught by trumpeter Fred Berman.

Born to a musical family, Joe Puma came of age during the advent of the bebop era, and first found work in 1949 in the band of vibraphonist Joe Roland. Puma recorded prolifically as a session player in the '50s and '60s, accompanying the likes of Carmen McRae, Herbie Mann, Artie Shaw, Lee Konitz and Eddie Bert.

While lesser known than some of his contemporaries, John Gray was a highly versatile and proficient guitarist who recorded with numerous important figures. Over the course of his twenty-one year recording career, from 1947-1968, Gray participated in sessions with the likes of George Shearing, Teddy Edwards, Louis Armstrong, Jack Wilson, and Philly Joe Jones, and recorded the excellent album "The New Wave" (which also features guitarist Herb Ellis) as a leader in 1962.

Duke Ellington's favorite guitar player, Kenny Burrell has influenced musicians worldwide. His career spans from his first recording session with Dizzy Gillespie at the age of twenty to his current job as head of the jazz program at UCLA. Originally from Detroit, Burrell has played with many of the greats in both the jazz and pop fields, from John Coltrane to Tony Bennett.

As a titan of jazz-rock fusion, guitarist Larry Coryell was known for his blistering lines. However, as pianist Billy Taylor stated, "[Larry] plays all the styles: Latin, jazz-rock, straight-ahead jazz, European classical music. You name it, he's a master of it."

Born in Galveston, Texas in 1943, Coryell began playing the guitar in his teens and performing in various high school rock bands. After moving to New York to attend the Mannes School of Music, he replaced Gabor Szabo in Chico Hamilton’s quintet. Later, after breaking new musical ground with his fusion group the Free Spirits in the mid 1960s, Coryell went on to join vibraphonist Gary Burton. Since then, he performed and recorded with the likes of Charles Mingus, Ron Carter, John McLaughlin and Chick Corea.

A forward-leaning yet strongly swinging modern pianist, Cochrane studied with the noted Boston-based piano teacher Madame Margaret Chaloff (mother of Serge Chaloff) and the inimitable Jaki Byard. In a fruitful career, he has performed and/or recorded with saxophonists Michael Brecker, Sonny Fortune, Oliver Lake, David Schnitter and Chico Freeman and trumpeters Clark Terry, Valery Ponomarev, Jack Walrath and Ted Curson; also bassist Eddie Gomez, as well as many others.

Oscar Pettiford's mother was Choctaw and his father was half Cheokee and half African American, making for an interestingly rich musical background. He grew up singing and playing piano in a family band before eventually switching to the bass at the age of 14. Pettiford was strongly influenced by the great Milt Hinton who helped convince Pettiford that if he continued to pursue music, he would make a successful career from it. Performing with Dizzy Gillespie helped Pettiford become recognized as one of the first bassists in the bebop world.

Jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein has been a part of the jazz scene in New York and abroad since 1989. During that time he has participated in over 80 recordings and numerous festival, concert and club performances with musicians from all generations.

Born Joseph Rudolph Jones (July 15, 1923, in Philadelphia, PA), he dubbed himself "Philly Joe" to avoid confusion with the legendary drummer Jo Jones (also known as "Papa Jo" Jones). Unlike many jazz artists who started their careers by going on the road in their late teens, Philly Joe, at 18, joined the U.S. Army (1941) and remained in the Army until 1947. Soon after leaving the service, he moved to New York and joined Joe Morris's rhythm and blues band. His first recording (at age 25) was with the Morris band (September 19, 1948).

Following performances in his native Philadelphia with guitarist Tiny Grimes and as house pianist at the Blue Note Club with Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Miles Davis and others, Ray Bryant came to New York in the mid-1950s. His first jazz recording session in New York was with Toots Thielemans (August, 1955) for Columbia Records. That session led to his own trio sessions as well as sessions with vocalist Betty Carter for Epic Records in May and June ("Meet Betty Carter and Ray Bryant"). On August 5, 1955, Ray recorded with Miles Davis, and on December 2, 1955, with Sonny Rollins, both for Prestige Records. On April 3, 1956, Ray started his "Ray Bryant Trio" album for Epic Records, which contains his own first recording of his classic title Cubano Chant. Cal Tjader had recorded Cubano Chant earlier, on November 11, 1955, on Fantasy Records.

Remo Palmier may not be jazz’s most well known guitarist, but his resume speaks for itself. During the 1940s, Palmier worked with Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Teddy Wilson, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan—the few available recordings from this era showcase Palmier’s bebop-influenced style.

While often overlooked, Belgian guitarist René Thomas was one of Europe’s finest. Born in Liège, Belgium in 1927, Thomas eventually moved to Paris in the 1950s, where he would become an integral part of the jazz scene. Known for his elegant style influenced by Django Reinhardt and Jimmy Raney, he found work with Chet Baker, Sonny Rollins, Toshiko Akiyoshi and Kenny Clarke. Later, after a brief stint in Montreal and return to Paris, Thomas played in Stan Getz’s European band from 1969 to 1972. He is featured on the saxophonist’s album "Dynasty" (1971).

Sam Jones was most known for his work with the great Cannonball Adderley but he played extensively with all the great bandleaders including Bobby Timmons, Ray Bryant and Kenny Dorham. His discography speaks for his versatility as he could mold to any situation, but Jones was most known for his strong, confident beat and great bass lines. These traits are what led to countless recordings with various leaders, (especially with Cannonball and Nat Adderley) as well as replacing Ray Brown in Oscar Peterson's trio from 1966-1970.

Clifton "Skeeter" Best was an American jazz guitarist. Best played in Philadelphia from 1935 to 1940, recording with Slim Marshall and Erskine Hawkins. In 1940, he joined Earl Hines's orchestra, playing with him until he joined the U.S. Navy in 1942. After the war, he played with Bill Johnson from 1945 to 1949.

Tal Farlow started out playing a ukulele-tuned mandolin as a hobby before building his own electric guitar in the downtime of a sign painting job. First playing professionally in Philadelphia in the early 1940s, Farlow’s big break into the scene came with a stint in the Red Norvo trio with Charles Mingus in 1949.

While his virtuosic harmonica playing was featured on Sesame Street and Midnight Cowboy and his whistling on Old Spice advertisements, Toots Thielemans considered himself first and foremost a guitarist. Born in Brussels, Belgium in 1922, Thielemans got his start playing accordion as a child in his parents’ cafe.

Arguably the most famous jazz guitarist of all time, Wes Montgomery has had a lasting impact on guitarists of all genres. Known for his stunning chord solos, signature use of octaves and velvety tone—which he achieved by picking with his thumb—Montgomery’s guitar work is instantly identifiable, whether leading his own bands in club settings, adding textures as a sideman or soloing atop an orchestra.

Wilbur Ware's unique approach to the function of the bass in an ensemble has inspired countless musicians to play what they hear, even if it's not the most typical approach. Ware was renowned for his idiosyncratic yet immensely swinging beat that locked down the band rhythmically, as well as his highly creative harmonic sense. Wilbur's ability to play his "own notes," as bassist Ron Carter said, distinguished him from the other practitioners of his instrument. John Coltrane stated in an interview with August Blume, "Wilbur Ware, he's so inventive . . . He doesn't always play the dominant notes . . . He's superimposing things. He's playing around, under and over, so when he comes back you feel everything set in . . . A lot of fun playing that way."